Named after the English city Epsom, Epsom salt has been around since the 17th century and was first used as laxatives and to relieve symptoms of gout. It was soon recognized for its beauty applications, and its benefits now extend to gardening, health, cleaning, and crafting.

Epsom contains magnesium, and a lack of it can turn your plant’s leaves yellow between the veins. It is needed to replenish the plant’s magnesium while eliminating bugs, or for new plants, you can try placing the salts directly into the hole before planting.

Using Epsom can prevent transplant shock when repotting plants, guard plants against disease, and boost processes like photosynthesis, germination, and seed formation. It can even enhance the flavor of vegetables by helping to produce sugar-containing chlorophyll.

Since Epsom is a mineral, an excess amount of magnesium can contaminate plants and nearby water supplies, and if applied directly to leaves, it can cause leaf burn. Epsom should be used sparsely and only when soil lacks magnesium to avoid killing your plants.

Generally, Epsom can be used on any plant lacking magnesium, but there are three that benefit greatly from its use. For pepper and tomato plants, the mineral helps produce better-tasting vegetables, and for roses, adding Epsom salts to the planting hole can boost their aesthetic appeal.